The invention relates, in general, to a device for distributing flexible sheets, particularly paper sheets, in a plurality of collecting bins, and, more particularly, to a device for distributing flexible sheets to collecting bins arranged in rows side by side underneath a horizontal sheet pass-through track, which is composed of inclined wall plates, where sheet guide belts and a sheet deflector, including at least one pair of deviation rollers and moving step by step from collecting bin to collecting bin, are arranged in the sheet pass-through track, this sheet deflector steering the individual sheets successively from the horizontal sheet pass-through track through an at least substantially vertical deflection plane into the individual bins.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,685,819 discloses a device of the above mentioned type in which two guide rollers are rotatably mounted at a horizontal spaced distance from each other in a deflecting truck, movable in steps, along the sheet pass-through track, between which is arranged a sheet deflector consisting of a flat baffle plate and lockable in two different pivotal positions. In one pivotal position of the sheet deflector, the incoming sheets are steered into one of the collecting bins, while in the other pivotal position a bridge is formed between guide rollers, over the guide rollers in the deflecting truck runs an endless belt which is guided in different planes in a rectangular course by means of correspondingly arranged guide rollers around the collecting bin arrangement. The stepwise movement of the deflecting truck from collecting bin to collecting bin is effected by a special control of the belt drive by means of an electromagnetic locking mechanism to block one of the guide rollers. In addition, electrically controllable mechanical locking means are provided to control the stepwise movement of the deflecting truck. The individual collecting bins arranged in rows side by side underneath the sheet pass-through track, consist of inclined flat wall plates which have no paper guide elements. Due to the absence of special paper guide elements in the vicinity of the openings of the individual collecting bins on the inlet side, it is necessary to arrange the individual wall plates in a relatively great horizontal distance from each other so that an inlet opening is formed into which the paper sheets can be introduced.
In another known device for distributing paper sheets, disclosed in West German Offenlegungsschrift No. 20 48 981, a sheet deflector in the form of a rotatably mounted double wedge is arranged at the end of a horizontal pass-through track, which is formed by the contiguous strands of two superposed conveyor belt systems, and which can be adjusted in three different positions. Underneath this sheet deflector switch arrangement, a second vertically extending belt system is arranged which is guided by a deflecting truck moving, in steps, in a vertical plane along inlet openings of superposed collecting bins. There are again two groups of these vertically extending conveyor belts. One group of these vertical conveyor belts is guided over fixed rollers in a frame and runs over guide rollers superposed practically vertically in the truck, which effect a horizontal deflection. Another group of the vertical drive belts runs over the upper roller of the deflecting truck, as well as over stationary guide rollers arranged above the conveyor zone of the truck and over a tension roller moving in the horizontal plane of the guide rollers which is secured on a tackle connected to a chain drive of the deflecting truck. In this known arrangement, the ends of the plates forming the collecting bins at the inlet are inclined plates not equipped with special paper guide elements, so their intervals must also be relative great to ensure a proper paper feed. Great distances between the individual wall plates of the collecting bins require, however, much space and a small number of collecting bins within a certain length of the pass-through track.
British Pat. No. 1 278 396 discloses another device for distributing paper sheets in collecting bins provided with a vertical pass-through track which is formed by several vertical conveyor belts and a number of vertically superposed guide rollers. The individual collecting bins, which are made of plates arranged in horizontal planes, are vertically superposed. The intervals of the various plates forming the collecting bins are equal to the center distances of the individual vertically superposed guide rollers. As a sheet deflector is provided a two-arm yoke which is pivotally mounted on a carriage moving step by step along the sheet pass-through track, and which has two fingers which protrude into the sheet track and which have deflecting surfaces to steer the incoming sheets between two guide rollers each. In these vertically superposed collecting bins, the plates are provided with extensions extending like fingers between the guide rollers arranged on a common shaft, which serve as paper guide elements. Nevertheless, the distance between the individual plates must also be selected here relatively large to ensure the feed of the paper sheet into the individual collecting bins.
In another embodiment, where the collecting bins are arranged horizontally side by side and the sheet pass-through track horizontally, the individual collecting bins which are each assigned to a pair of guide rollers, consist of flat wall plates which have no paper guide elements. The result is that the paper guide elements provided on the plates of the vertically superposed collecting bins are only considered necessary in a horizontal feed into the individual collecting bins. A common feature of all these known devices for distributing paper sheets into collecting bins is that the intervals of the walls or plates forming the collecting bins are substantially greater than would be necessary for the regularly occurring maximum thicknesses of the paper stacks to be collected in the individual collecting bins. In one known device, this space-consuming drawback is due to the lack of suitable paper guide elements in the range of the pocket openings at the inlet, and in the other known devices to the fact that the arrangement of the collecting bins must be adapted to the center distances of the guide rollers assigned in pairs to each collecting bin.